Getting Older or Wiser?

Well, the inevitable has now happened. Thursday was my birthday. Yes, it is true, I am getting older. But then again, aren't we all. This birthday taught me a lot. The best present I received this year is the confirmation that I am truly a blessed man. I have the best family in the world. I have an incredible wife, who I love with all my heart. I have three incredible children who delight in birthdays and gift-giving. I have awesome parents and brothers who always make the effort to say Happy Birthday and send their love.

I worked on my birthday and people were so surprised at how open I was about it being my birthday. Now I didn't go around and tell everyone so they would think I'm special or anything. But at the same time I wouldn't be shy about it. People often times don't even want others to acknowledge it because they are embarassed about it. But, for me, it was just fun. This day only comes around once out of the entire year. It's special and fun, and I like to spread the love a little bit. It's not all about me, but you can't ignore a day that only comes around once a year.

I got some great gifts from my family. Mom and Dad got me a very expensive and valuable gift that I will always treasure - a Krispie Kreme gift card. Oh yea! Ashley and the kids absolutely showered me with gifts. They got me three great football movies that we can add to our video library. Three movies that, ironically are all football classics, and even more ironically start with with letter "R". BUT none of them are rated R. In fact, all three are PG. Rudy, Radio, and Remember the Titans. My family has definitely acknowledged my enjoyment of football this time of year. Maybe BEN can get me a win for my birthday. (Kick off is 7 pm tonight against Monmouth) I should call him and ask for that.

But perhaps the most meaningful gift award goes to my wife. She found these beautiful decorative signs. One says "FAITH" and the other says "LOVE." On the back of each she has written me a very special note expressing her appreciation for my leadership and example in our home. THAT, to me, is the greatest gift I could have been given. For my wife to express her love to me, knowing full well how many times I have failed her and the kids, how many times I have sought my own desires above the Lord's, and how many times I have not been deserving of her love, means more to me than anything money can buy.

With each passing year I grow older, but my love for my wife, my kids, my family, and my Lord grow stronger. Ashley and the Lord and I are all growing in unity as the years progress, making for sweet fellowship every single day. I am truly blessed to be right where I am and would not trade it for all the money in the world.

So bring on this next year. I am ready. I have some great support all around me and I do not want to let them down. I will honor Christ and my family and live life to the fullest!

30 Years is a Loooong Time

Unfortunately, people do not stay married very long these days. It is very, very common to hear of a divorce or separation situation. And you know, it is also becoming more common to hear of divorce not just among those who have been married for only a few years, but among those who have been married for decades.

Well Mom and Dad just entered their third decade together, as of today. I just want to express both my thanks to them and my praise to God for giving me such incredible parents. I don't quite know how tough things were when I was little, but I can imagine, though, now having a family of my own. I know things were indeed tough, but I'm so very grateful that Mom and Dad had eternal perspective when facing tough times. They know that marriage is not about making each other happy, but about encouraging one other to strive for holiness. They understand that the hard times only shape your marriage and make it better, rather than break it and make it worse.

So many times I find myself, now being a husband and father of three kids doing the very same things my parents did. Saying the same things. Acting the same way. But you know what...I don't think that's such a bad thing.

I love you, Mom and Dad. Hope you guys enjoy this anniversary, and may the next 30 years be even better!

R & R

I envy those who have time to blog daily. There are always so many thoughts running through my head I'd love to put some down in words for the whole world to see. But, as you can see, my time has been rather limited in recent weeks. We are in Virginia now for some much needed R & R. It's beautiful here. We just took our time driving up here, too. We plan on taking the next few days to visit with old friends and familiar spots. We will be a Grace Bible Camp in Goshen, VA on Thursday. That's where Ashley and I met for the first time. It's in a beautiful spot of Virginia...you should google it, just type in "middle of nowhere" and you should be able to find Goshen. I wonder what would happen if you typed in "middle of nowhere." Think I'll try it to see what happens. At some point we will find ourselves in Clifton Forge to visit with friends we haven't seen in years. We lived in Clifton Forge for the first year of our marriage. It's going to be great to reconnect with friends there. We'd like to go to church on Sunday, but that would mean driving home from Clifton Forge instead of Roanoke. We'll see what happens.

It's nice to be away from all the unfinished projects at home, doing whatever we like without all the loose ends staring you in the face. These past weeks have been very stressful for both Ashley and myself. I've been installing floors for a neighbor while Ashley has had her hands quite full with the kids at home. Fortunately the floors are almost completely finished and that project is over. My own projects have been neglected, not to mention the most important project - loving on my family! That's why we are here, away from it all. Hopefully I'll spend some good time loving on my family this week. I'd love to take side trips to neat places like Roaring Run waterfall, or Goshen Pass. Just us.

We'll see. Hey, maybe I'll keep you posted since I should have some time to post something.

Milestone for Micah

One small milestone for baby Micah, one major leap for our marriage! Micah is no longer sharing a room with Mommy and Daddy! We have been room shifting. It's kind of like moving into a new home except it's more like turning an existing home into a rubix cube rather than moving into a new place to live. You cannot move one piece of furniture unless you have plans to move at least two other pieces. I don't believe we have too much furniture, I think the rooms are just a little snug.

At any rate, Micah is in a crib in what used to be a guest room (and partially still is), while Abby and Nate are both in toddler beds. Meanwhile, Mommy and Daddy have a room all to themselves for the first time in about 6 months. Yes, it's been that long. We knew moving the kids beds around would be a big ordeal so we had to wait for the right time. I was motivated to move it all, and it's best to move and rearrange when you're motivated. Otherwise, it can be quite difficult.

This is kind of like a vacation for us. No more tiptoeing around the bassinet while I get ready for work. No more wispering. No more waiting until the kids wake up to get access to our things.

But in all honesty, as much as our new freedom is exciting for us, in some ways it is sad. Ashley was very sad last night about Micah not being in the room with us. He's grown so fast. They all have. Now he's in the crib and Nate's in a toddler bed.

So the question we are asking ourselves is this, "Are we making the most of the time?" Are we investing timeless truths and love into the hearts of our children? I think we are. They aren't ours forever, but they will be our children as long as we are all alive.

So while we will not wake to the cries of a newborn, we will now fall asleep to tears of joy that life's changes are coming at their usual rapid pace and we can do nothing about it.

What a Week!

I'm so glad it is Friday! I'm actually looking forward to finally knocking out that "honey-do" list. It grows ever so long by the day! Am I using too many exclamation points?!

New Windows - Finally!

Well, one of the things we should have done when we first moved into the new house was change out a few of the windows. Two upstairs had broken seals, meaning they trapped moisture and wreaked havoc on effeciency. The two windows on our front porch that are molded together needed to be changed because an entire sash was missing from one of the windows. It was just a piece of glass caulked into the space where the sash was.

Ever since we talked about the new window project with our family, we have gotten consistent feedback from several that we shouldn't pay anyone to replace them, but should replace them ourselves. They said over and over again how easy it would be to replace them.

Well, having replaced them now, I would agree with them that it was not a difficult job at all, and I'm so glad I didn't pay anyone to do it. We saved roughly $400 by doing it ourselves. It was simply a matter of pulling back the wooden trim around the old windows, removing the nails from the old windows, removing them from the house and replacing them with new ones in the reverse order. That's it!

We had Lowe's measure the openings for us to ensure our order would be the right size. When you order something like windows, they have to be made to fit your openings. Lowe's may not have your size in stock (most of the time they do not). So if the size is wrong when your order them, too bad, you're stuck with them. So we let Lowe's carry that burden for us. Since they measured, if they're measurements were off, then they were stuck with the windows - not us.

The only snag I ran into during the installation was with the two windows that were moulded together on the front porch. You see, those two windows came as one unit, but were just two windows joined together at the factory. Well, when Lowe's measured they found the rough opening to be 70 inches wide. When they made the windows, however, they made them both at 35 inches wide. It should fit then, right? Well, not quite. You see, when you join two windows together, there is about a quarter inch gap between the two that is filled with adhesive and a moulding strip. This then makes the two windows 70.25 inches wide. So I had to trim away at my rough opening in order to get the windows in. Not too big of a deal really, just a headache. It would have been nice to make the windows at about 34 and 7/8 a piece. That should have made up for the quarter inch gap between the windows. BUT we made it work anyway.

The other two single units upstairs were an absolute breeze. Except for being chased by bees, it was a very safe experience.

Enjoy the pictures!

It wasn't exactly a cold Saturday, but we managed to cool off. Abigail and Nate played in the kiddie pool while I worked on the windows.

Notice the essential tools used in this project - measuring tape, power drill, and wasp spray!

This is one of my favorite shots. you can see the old windows out and new windows in on the upstairs. It took me less than two hours to do the upstairs, that's how easy this project was. Now it really wasn't finished though without caulk, insulation, and the final trim work. But that didn't take too long. Those black shutters were harboring the killer wasps who dared to attack me. I found about 7 or 8 wasp nests behind all of them. But I won and they didn't survive to tell about it.

Overall we saved a ton of money. We purchased energy star windows, so we'll get a tax rebate. We purchased them when Lowes was having a 20% off sale on windows (which is very rare - usually it's only 10%). We purchased the windows with a credit card promotion (which is the ONLY time I ever purchase anything with a credit card - when they have a promotion) that gave us $100 credit with a $500 purchase. And we installed them ourselves, while Lowe's charges about $100/window for installation.

Would I recommend just anyone doing their own window replacement? Absolutely. It is very hard to go wrong as long as you have the right sizes. But installation rates are probably so high because they know people will pay that much money because they think it's such a hard job. And you know what's even worse, when you order replacement windows, they do not even remove the old ones from the house...they just replace the sashes! We had to get new construction windows, however, since our sashes could not be removed.

I'm glad this project is accomplished. It was certainly well worth the effort.

Wooden Train Adventures

Nathaniel loves playing with choo-choos. So yesterday morning while Mommy went for a coupon run, Daddy decided a good distraction from Mommy leaving would be to build a mega wooden train track. While it never quite made it to the "mega" stage, it was still rather big and was a whole lot of fun for the kids. We still had a whole box of pieces left over, but I had hit the end of the line of my creative juices for the moment. Besides, being wooden tracks, they weren't too stable. Nate and Abigail really enjoyed it. Mom and Dad are still here and I think Mom just enjoyed watching me try to build it. I leanred that the key is symmetry. What you do on one side of the station you have to do on the other side so the track will line up. I wish I had this sort of set when I was a kid. Most of these pieces came from a free craigslist box of toys. Check out all those trains!

Eat More Chicken!

Mom and Dad were in town this weekend. For our Friday night meal we went out on the town and took Chik-Fil-A by storm. They were having a promotion for Cow Appreciation Day. If you dressed up like a cow you got a free combo - any combo of your choice. The pictures say it all.

I was definitely the only brown cow in the place. I wanted to represent all the forgotten brown cows out there. Most of the cows were black and white, but there are so many other kinds of cows out there. We were privileged to have our neighbor Shawn join us in our crazy adventure. It was definitely an experience we will never forget. Chick-Fil-A gives away more food than any other restaurant out there. We don't go there too often because they don't have a dollar menu, but they certainly give away a lot of food from time to time.

Back in Business

Hey everyone! We have a new computer now. So, you'll probably see more postings in the future. The only thing that will probably keep me from posting more is just fatigue, since I don't stay up too late any more.

We'll keep coming back, there may be more very soon!

Jonathan

Boy Meets Girl

I had just finished mowing the lower field with the old diesel Ford tractor when it was time for all the counselors to arrive. Our first meeting together was dinner. I walked in all sweaty and dirty. That's when Ashley and I met for the first time. As far as I recollect, and she'll have to fill in the gaps, she thought I was ruggedly handsome, but then once I started talking she just wasn't impressed. A bit cocky and self-centered, I suppose, as most single college guys are. Well, I guess she changed her mind about me. If she didn't I guess she was able to look past that and married me anyway. Boy am I glad!
That was eight years ago today. I have a lot of special days that land on the 10th of the month, so this one is pretty easy for me to remember. We married on May 10, 2003. We met on June 10th, 2001. My birthday is September 10th. My brother Ben's birthday is January 10th.
June 10th is a date that gets us thinking about Grace Bible Camp and all the fun we had there. My mind is always immediately drawn to Mr. Bill. I often wonder how he is doing. He has been at the camp for so long (I think it will be 50 years soon). The work requires so much and he is not getting any younger. We were offered to work there once. The plan was to eventually learn everything I could from Mr. Bill in hopes to be able to carry the torch after he retires. He said he would never completely retire because he'd always want to come back and run the Book Nook (our camp store). Mr. Bill was the first one I ever spoke to about pursuing Ashley. He and I had a great friendship, so confiding him in this was very natural.
Ashley had left a few things after camp was over that summer of 2001. I was still around helping out after camp, of course. Mr. Bill asked if I would be willing to deliver some things she left. What did she leave? One picture and a radio. You know what the picture was? The one picture she had purchased of all the camp pictures...me dressed up as a missionary nurse to help our Bible story come alive for the campers. Needless to say I was flattered and was obliged to deliver the picture in person.
And now here we are. We have literally hundreds of pictures of the two of us, the kids, and all that has happened to us over the years. But it all started with me dressed as a missionary nurse. I'll never forget that June 10th. I thank my God for how he brought the two of us together. I wouldn't trade my wife and my children for anything in the whole world.
Happy 1st Meeting Anniversary, Ashley! I love you as long as I live! In sickness, in health, for better or worse, till the day that I die, I will always love you.

Don't Let Your Tongue Get in the Way

First of all, let me say that I am truly enjoying my new position at work. The stress level is very manageable and I really feel as though I am in my element. The shift begins extremely early, but I feel like I've found a sleeping schedule that will work. Aside from that, let me take a moment to share what is on my heart this morning.
Yesterday morning I had just arrived at my post. The warehouse was vacant (as it usually is at 2:30 am) except for one man, the 2nd Shift Operations Manager (aka chief manager of that shift). He was just on his way out. He had just finished a phone conversation with another associate - not another manager or supervisor, but an hourly associate. After the conversation, this particular Ops (as we call them) slammed down the phone and said, "What an idiot! _____ is such an idiot!" I blanked out the name because I know the associate fairly well.
My heart hit the floor. I lost my respect for that Ops yesterday and I think you can see why. One of the most fundamental principles of leadership is that you never ever degrade another associate, especially not in front of other associates.
I've heard of people tripping over rocks, or a step they didn't see, but have you ever heard of anyone tripping over their own tongue? Okay, well, maybe we don't fall to the ground because of this powerful little piece of flesh, but it does get in the way all too often. In my eyes, that Ops hit the ground yesterday morning, and lost all credibility.
Ashley was sharing with me how she heard of a man who consciously chose to never say a single negative thing about anyone. How difficult would that really be for us? How easy it is to allow ourselves to say negative things especially when a particular person is the subject and brunt of the statement! The New Testament book of James says a lot about this...here are a couple of passages that should challenge us a bit.
James 3:7-10 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
What vivid imagery used here! Restless evil. Full of deadly poison. I mean, that's a serious picture!
James 4:11-12 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
So why is this one of the biggest struggles within the walls of churches today? I mean, there are people in every single church who are known for this type of ridiculous behavior. And this is not only a problem within the walls of the church, but it is one that people who are not Christians have a really hard time with. How many times of people who are not followers of Christ been the target of judgmental glances and remarks. Instead, how are we supposed to behave around people who do not follow Christ? Well, Jesus hung out with them and built relationships with them. He healed them of their ailments and showed them His power to save and gave them a place in his kingdom.
In his song "Surely God is With Us," Rich Mullins sings this about Jesus, "The whores all seem to love him and the drunks propose a toast!" That's about right! But this is not the case for us Christians. We stand outside the world and judge as though we were God himself. Well, let me tell you that while God may not approve of their behavior, he still died in their place so they could be with him, too.

Let me wrap this up by asking you (and I'm speaking to Christians here), why would you speak negatively or criticize someone else? Who are we to judge? Did Christ send us into the world to judge the world? Even he did not come for that reason...
John 3:16-17 For this is how God loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
There will be a day where God will judge the world, but that is not our job. IT IS OUR JOB, however, to get the world ready FOR that judgment! Let us seek to tell the world of the imminence of that judgment. It may be nearer than we think. SHAME on us for not letting the world know what is about to come. Instead we sit outside and look in and sneer at the world. The world will waste away and we will wonder why those people didn't know the judgment was going to come. It is because disobedient and prideful Christians can't see past themselves and their own mouths to enter into the world of darkness and let those who are perishing know how they can be a part of eternal life beyond the judgment!
So good luck taming your tongue! And I'm speaking to myself. But I have a good suspicion that if we begin by taming our hearts and tuning them with God's own heart, then our tongues will probably follow right along.

Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Empty Promise or Empty Faith?

I have been reading in Matthew lately. We are going through the Sermon on the Mount as a church. What an incredible passage. Recently we have been studying Matthew 7. I have been dwelling on verse 7 since I read it the other day. The verse reads, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." The more I thought about this verse, the more I had a problem with it. Now let me back up here and explain that I firmly believe that all of Scripture is God's Word and being such, it contains no errors. There are times, however, where I study a text and ask myself why it was translated in a certain way. Being a bit of a geek when it comes to language study, I pay attention to things like grammar and verb usage in particular. Should I apologize? I'm not sure, but hopefully I will not lose you by simply mentioning the words grammar and verb. But understanding the verbs in this verse is important to understanding its meaning as a whole.
Okay, so why did I have a problem? Well, if you're anything like me, I've asked God for plenty of things and have yet to receive them. I have sought God many times over and sometimes he seems very hard to find. I have knocked on plenty of doors that seem to be barred shut and vacant on the other side. So, how then can Jesus say "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you,"? Is this a bit of an empty promise on Jesus' part? Would Jesus ever make an empty promise? Never. So the problem must be in the translation.
The New Testament was written in Greek. The Greeks paid particular attention to something called "verbal aspect." This means, that rather than putting a lot of stock in verb tense (when the action took place) as we do in English, the Greeks were more concerned with how the action took place - that's what verbal aspect is all about, how the action took place.
The key to understanding Matthew 7:7 is in the commands, or imperatives as they are known to grammar geeks. The commands are "Ask," "seek," and "knock." Allow me to set the stage here. In the Greek, it is very common to have a command in a simple form known (are you ready for this million dollar word) aorist (pronounce "air-ist"). In layman's terms this aspect means that the action is simply happening. Nothing is really being said about how it happened, just that it happened. So if I were to command you to run in the aorist, I could simply say, "Run." BUT the commands in this verse are not in the aorist, which should catch the Greek geek's attention and tell him something is a little special about these commands. There are a lot of commands in the aorist, but not so with this verse.
They are not in the aorist, but are in the present form. In Greek, the present form is one that implies continuing action. If I were to command you to run in the present, I would say, "Keep running." This means you need to run without stopping. So it means a little more than just "run." Well, the commands in Matthew 7:7 are all in the present. SO, a good translation that brings out this emphasis would read, "Keep asking and it will be given to you; keep seeking and you will find; keep knocking and the door will be opened to you."
Now is the other translation wrong? No, but this translation brings out the emphasis of what Jesus is commanding. Can you hear the difference?
If I told you that when you asked for something it would be given to you, then you would expect that to happen without having to ask twice. And since Jesus has given us this promise, then it would be safe to say he would follow through on it, right? It seems as though this is an empty one since Jesus can do anything, but doesn't always give us what we ask for, especially after only asking one time. Does Jesus just hand out empty promises? I think not. That would be totally inconsistent with his nature.
Instead, if we understand that the verse is saying, "Keep asking and it will be given to you," then the emphasis shifts and the burden of realization falls on the shoulders of the one who is asking rather than on Jesus. You see, Jesus says to "keep on asking," "keep on seeking," and "keep on knocking." He desires that we continue to seek him for all our needs, rather than ask once and wait for something to happen. The gist of this whole verse is that we should continue to excercise our faith. Faith continually seeks after God regardless if the results are immediate or if they take years. A genuine faith is not in results - the benefit we receive, but it is realizing that God is faithful and true regardless of my circumstances. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." And that does not waver just because we do not see results.
So rather than this verse being an empty promise, it forces us to examine whether or not we have empty faith. It is as though Jesus is saying, "keep on seeking me," "keep on asking me," do not stop! A faith that continually seeks after God will not be disappointed.
How long must we continue to ask, seek, or knock? Well, if we really think about it, if we have faith that God is who he is, would we care how long it took to get results? It's like asking, "how far can I go before it is called sinning?" You can tell that the person who asks this is not concerned at all with living a sinless life, but wants to get away with as much as possible before he crosses the line. So, if we ask "how long must I seek you?" then our hearts' motives are made clear - we care more about results than our faith in God.
I know this has become a short novel, but I think you can see why this distinction meant so much to me. Let us continue to seek the Lord for more wisdom on how to apply his word! Let me know if this doesn't make sense. There were a lot of different words, but I tried to explain them so that anyone could understand. The bottom line is that we should be more interested in the condition of our faith and our hearts than with getting what we want. And that is exactly what Jesus is wanting us to realize as we continue to seek him.

Darker and Earlier

The other supervisor on the shipping dock with me has a great saying. Instead of saying we'll see each other bright and early the next morning, he says, "dark and early." That's about right. As supervisors we have to come in at 3:30 am. We rotate, so there are days when I go in at 6:30, which isn't too bad. That's sleeping in for this job.
Well, do to recent changes to managment on our shift, and the supervisor in receiving being terminated, I will now be moving to a new department - Meat and Produce Receiving. I will still work Tuesday - Friday, but instead of being at work at 3:30, I will now have to be at work at 2:30. YIKES! So when I see David, I'll say, see you "darker and earlier."
This will be very interesting. I feel confident I'll be able to run the department with relative ease since I started out on receiving and remained there for well over two years. The only difficulty will certainly be the time.
Well, here goes nothing! I start this Tuesday! Pray for us!

One of my only complaints about Little House

Okay, so Ashley and I began our Little House on the Prairie craze a couple of years ago. We've made it all the way to season 9 now - the final season. And I must say I am utterly disappointed. For those of you who grew up when this series was one of the evening favorites during the week, were you disappointed in season nine as well? Little House on the Prairie makes one mistake over and over again that gets to be a little frustrating at times. While they try to continue the overall Ingalls story with each episode, there is very little connection from one episode to the next. And sometimes, main characters simply disappear never to return. I believe it was season four or five when Mr. Edwards just disappeared and the Garvey's entered the scene. Now the Garvey's have disappeared. Mr. Edwards is back, though. That was really frustrating to start a season with no Mr. Edwards, and everyone acting like life is normal.
Well, if that wasn't bad enough, you may have guessed why I'm frustrated with season 9. The very first episode in season 9 is all about the Ingalls moving away and now every episode is about Laura and Almonzo. HELLO! The entire show is about the Ingalls family and they are not even in it anymore! I guaruntee this is why season 9 was the last season. I don't know because I haven't researched it, but I'm willing to bet that the ratings dropped after the first episode of season nine.
Why am I so dramatic about it? Because the show was built upon Charles Ingalls and his family making the most of life regardless of what came their way. And now Charles just randomly moves away with Carolyn, Albert, Kerry, Grace, James, and Cassandra. Season 8 finished with a hugely dramatic episode about Charles having faith in God to heal James. And that is the last we see of them. You can't build a show on such major players and then take them out and hope to continue the same momentum.
Oh well, I guess life just goes on. Maybe I've been wasting my time on this anyway. There was probably something way more important to write about than this, but I'm glad got that off my shoulders.

Dollars and Sense!

I must confess that while I learned a lot of my financial know-how from my parents, I have learned most of it from my incredible wife. I'm so grateful that I wasn't the desperado who picked the queen of diamonds...the queen of hearts is always your best bet (thanks to the Eagles for that poetic wisdom). I just want to take the time to share what we have been experience in our the financial side of our lives. People don't talk about their personal money habits in public avenues very often. But money is a very important part of life. So much so that Jesus taught about money and its relationship with our hearts quite often. This Sunday, in fact, we will be continuing a series on the Sermon on the Mount by discussing how no one can serve both God and money. Check it out at northwake.com. I'm looking forward to it. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So for some this may be nothing new. Maybe you have heard principles like these and are bored by the idea. But for others, maybe you are excited like me when you hear great stories of how to make your money (however much or little it is) work for you rather than the opposite.

Let me begin by saying that we are not yet 30 years old, we have three kids, two cars, and one house and are debt free (except for our mortgage). We own both cars (which are both fairly new with the oldest on being a 2003 model). Both vehicles both have less than 80,000 miles. The only outstanding debt we have at this point is our mortgage, and we are currently taking steps to beat that down as quickly as possible.

I say all this to introduce the fact that you would be surprised at how much money we don't make! BUT because we are very conscious of our spending and saving habits, we have found ourselves in a very safe position in the midst of economic hardship. And let me add that we also do not have a budget. Scarey? Maybe, but the bottom line is that we have habits in place that have enabled us to stretch every penny and make our money work for us rather than the other way around.

DEBT -

I already mentioned this above, but one of the things that everyone would do well to remember is that debt should be avoided if at all possible. Now, there are some times when it is necessary for large expenses, like homes, cars, or maybe even school. But there are other times when debt may be uneccessary, like for entertainment, needless shopping, or other conveniences. Our policy is this...we distinguish between the necessary and the convenient. If something is necessary, then we evaluate the costs and try to avoid debt if at all possible. If a purchase may add convenience, then we evaluate the need vs. want factor. We do not underestimate the value of elbow grease and hard work and the money we save by applying both.

For cars, we know these are always expenses and never investments because of the rapid deterioration of the value. So when we need to purchase a vehicle, we set a limit, shop around a lot, then work something out. We also are not afraid to push hard bargains with dealers. We pay cash, and because of that we are not strapped by financing. The only downfall to this is if you want a really new vehicle you have to save up quite a bit. BUT the key is to buy before it's too late to get a lot of money out of your current vehicle. For example, we bought a van for $5100 and sold a car for $5100. So there was no other expense other than taxes (gotta love em). In most cases, we start looking when we feel it is neccesary. But before we buy we evaluate how much we can get for one of our existing vehicles and add that to what we are willing to pay.

CREDIT CARDS -

We avoid them, but we do use them. We are definitely not anit-credit cards. The difference is we make them work for us and not the other way around. The ONLY time we will ever apply for a credit card is if they have a promotion that benefits us. Some examples include gas cards with rebates (I mean if you're going to pay for gas, at least get some money back) and cards with rewards programs. We signed up for a Citi Master Card some years ago and got an instant $100 value bonus in rewards. We ended up using that to purchase a new home entertainment system. Neat, huh!

COUPONS -

This is probably one of the newest and most rewarding areas of money that we have discovered. It takes time, but the return on that invested time is well worth it! Find coupons anywhere you can - online, newspapers, other papers or magazines. Then look for the sales that the stores are having around you. Use a coupon on a sale item and save BIG TIME! In some cases, we have gotten things not just for free, but we have actually gotten money back! Just recently Ashley purchases some Purell hand soap with a coupon, and the soap was on clearance, so Target paid her about 60 cents to purchase it. That's cool! It takes some time and organization, but it is well worth it.

ATTITUDE-

We just value every single penny. We think before we spend. We factor everything into the equation - even the amount of gas, wear, and tear on the vehicle to go shop for something. For example, if I find a good deal on Craigslist, but the person selling it is far away, I'll factor in the cost of driving a long distance. In some cases it's not a good deal just because after paying the gas to get to it, I may as well buy it from a retailer. Catch my drift? We just think before we spend. On anything! Believe me this is not always easy! Ashley can tell you how many times I complain because I didn't get a nicer razor or tool because there was a better deal on another one that works just fine. Attitude is the key. Even when it comes to eating out, which we have not done too often. When we do eat out, it's at a place where we can get the most for our buck. Dollar menus are awesome things! Our entire family can eat out for less than 10 dollars easily. But we just don't eat out much.

My brother Ben will probably have the opportunity to play in the NFL pretty soon. We were talking about what would making an NFL salary do to us? How would we handle that kind of money? I can honestly say that I don't believe it would change a thing. We would still push hard bargains. We would still keep our attitudes in check. Here's why...because having a ton of money is not our goal. Our goal is to make the most of what we've been given, be it $29 or $29 million! We make our money work for us and not the other way around.

MY GOAL -

My goal at this point is to be completely debt free, mortgage and all. If things work out as planned, we can have our entire mortgage paid off in 3 years. That would mean that by the time I am 30 I will own my home, my cars, and have absolutely no debt. At that point we will do one of two things...either invest the money we make (which at this point may see small returns, but returns none the less), or sell our home and use every last penny as a down payment on another home a little nicer and repeat the process until we own that one.

We shall see what happens. I get excited talking about all this. Our money serves us, not the other way around. We also let is serve the purposes of God as well. Even though things are tight for us, we still give to our church and to others. That's the whole point! An excellent resource on this that will blow you away on giving is Randy Alcorn's, The Treasure Principle. A must read.

Thanks for humoring me. I feel better now that I got all that money talk out of my system. I hope it helps! It sure made "cents" to me!

What I Love About My Wife

It would be virtually impossible for me to sit down and make a list of all the things I love about Ashley. All the gigabytes in cyberspace couldn't handle the size of that file. It would simply be too large of a list. Okay, a bit hyperbolic I suppose, but you get the picture. I know she isn't perfect, but she adds so much to my life that I could not imagine life without her.

I would like to pinpoint one specific thing about her that I am so astounded by. One thing that she does so well, that others would benefit to hear it. Of course there is always her selflessness, although she would deny it (of course). She constantly gives and gives and gives for me and the kids and others before she thinks of herself. I see this lived out in her life on a daily basis, but that is not what I want to highlight in this posting. No, that fits under the auspices of a larger umbrella. An umbrella that covers so much of what I love about my wife of six years - my Ashley.

Ashley does something that any woman would do well to emulate, and it is something I only hope that our Abigail will follow and it is this... simply put- Ashley can make anything beautiful.

Why is this so important you may ask? Well, let me clarify that it is not the ability to make something beautiful that is what is so important. What is important is her DESIRE to make something that may seem so simple and undignified, well, beautiful. For this, in my estimation, is exactly what God does as he works on our hearts and in our lives. He has taken these hardened lumps of clay and is turning them into works of art which display His glory for all the world to see and honor Him.

For Ashley, it can be a meal, or housework, or designing a resume (hers has flowers on it)! But what she does most often is tries to make every day beautiful. Regardless if it is raining, sunny, cold, or warm, each day without some kind of good family time is a day wasted. She busies herself to maintain a nice home so that she can enjoy the opportunity to relax from doing housework and invest the time in things that really matter. When folks come over to visit or share a meal, they often compliment her on the cleanliness and loveliness of the house. What they sense from the condition of the house, I personally believe, is not cleanliness and neatness, but care and love. Everyone loves a good display of that sort of warmth. Ashley does not do anything without doing it well. Her philosophy has always been that a job worth doing is a job worth doing well. And why not? That just makes sense! Any other way and your going to have to do the job all over again.

The bottom line is this - Ashley unselfishly and beautifully displays her love for us in every single task she does, be it nursing a wound or making a peanut butter and jelly lunch, or just entering a room. Yesterday I got a heart-shaped caramel corn rice cake in my lunch. Now if she can make a rice cake delightful, that is quite a feat beyond all measure!!! Oh my heart is laughing right now because my cup overflows!!!!

Now let me clarify one thing, lest I lead you astray. Ashley is not made of steel. Her heart is one of flesh just like yours and mine. It is fragile and can be hurt. Believe me - I know! Unfortunately I have caused enormous amounts of pain for her in our first 6 years of marriage. Yet - here she is today folding my socks, snuggling with me on the couch as we veg out on popcorn and a Little House, packing my lunch for me day in and day out. It is another beautiful expression of hers and this one is called GRACE. For apart from grace, nothing can be made beautiful. One must look on a lump of clay with compassion, forgiveness, and a desire for a better end in order for the reforming of that clay into a masterpiece to begin. For so she does with life. Don't misunderstand me, she is not divine, but only human and frail. But she displays on a consistent basis the godly discipline of making all things beautiful.

Ashley Dawn, I love you with all my heart. I can never thank you enough, love you enough, or say I'm sorry enough for all that I have done or haven't done! I thank GOD for so blessing me with such an incredible woman as you for these 8 years of life and 6 years of marriage. I am truly blessed. No matter what comes our way, I want us to walk through it together, side-by-side as long as we both shall live. I never want to live without you. I love you. Thank you for making life all around us so beautiful. As we approach our 6th Anniversary I can't wait to look into your deep, beautiful blue eyes, stroke your beautiful brown hair and kiss your soft lips and say - Happy Anniversary once again. It gives me great joy and pleasure and satisfaction to say it. I love you, my Ashley, my wife. Thank you for being who you are. Happy Anniversary

CAT-astrophy

Well, it wasn't exactly an earth shattering event, but our cat, Gracen Mercy disappeared some time Monday afternoon. We have been playing outside a lot these recent weeks since the weather has been so nice. When we play outside we tend to leave the doors open since we often travel in and out of the house a lot when we play outside. Gracen always flirts with the line by sticking his head out of the door. This time he really snuck away from us, though. When I left for work on Tuesday morning, I didn't see him anywhere, but just assumed that he was sleeping in one of his many hiding spots. Then Ashley noticed that he wasn't anywhere to be found all day. When we realized the litter box had been dry and his food untouched, then we realized he was gone.
We looked and looked all over for him. We knocked on all the neighbor's doors to let them know what was going on and have them be on full alert. Every evening after work I would take about an hour or so to trot through the woods looking for any kind of sign of him - dead or alive.
Now, we honestly had mixed feelings about this. I mean, we have talked a lot about giving him away because of his antics. But since he disappeared, we haven't been so ready to give him up. Ashley has been having a really hard time with it. I'm not surprised though. Gracen has been with us longer than the kids. It's strange to think that he would be here one day and just gone the next.
Well, today he finally returned home! Our not-so-bright cat turned out to be somewhat intelligent after all - which was a great shock to me. Our neighbor about three doors up is a real animal lover and a school bus driver (I know the two are connected somehow). Gracen appeared on her porch with their kitty to get out of the rain from last night. She caught him and held him over night for us, and delivered him this morning after she dropped off all of her other animals, I mean, schoolkids.
So we are once again reunited with our long-time friend Gracen. The kids are so glad to have him back. I mean, why wouldn't they be? They won't sleep for three hour naps anymore with Gracen around, of course they're excited.
Me? Yeah, I honestly missed him. As much as I give him a hard time, it was not the same without him. I didn't exactly cry when he was gone, but it was awful quiet. It seemed like something was missing. I guess I've gotten used to the little booger.

My Old Guitar

I haven't seen the guitar in the above picture since 2001. I went on a mission trip to Nan, Thailand with a group from Forest Baptist Church in Virginia. One of our visits included encouraging and helping out a children's dormitory ministry in a small town called Mae Charim in the mountains of the Nan province. The dormitory is set up to allow children who live too far away from the public school in Mae Charim to attend the school. Many children live in the mountains and could not possibly travel that far every day for school. By providing a place for the children to live, they can take advantage of the education at the school and have a chance at entering college after high school graduation. Well, the dormitory is ran by an incredible family who has been leading the ministry for some time. One of the men plays the guitar so well! The only problem was he didn't have a guitar of his own. It was a no-brainer! I brought my guitar with me for the trip and was dubbed the team worship leader. It was a guitar my brother Skip had given me for my birthday. It was tricky getting in to Nan through about 5 airports and plane trips. Fortunately I only had to hold it on my lap for one short flight. The rest of the time it was in a coat closet. I highly doubt I could do that again since 9/11. This was actually the year of 9/11, just about 9 months prior to the event. We actually were in the Bangkok airport on New Year's to watch the sun rise on the New Year......anyway...back on track here....

I haven't heard from these folks since 2001. Well, just the other week I finally made contact with them and others invovled in the ministry to Nan, Thailand. I would love to return there someday. Not just to play my guitar, but to continue to ecourage hearts and reach the lost with the good news of Jesus Christ. Someday maybe.

Newest addition to our landscaping

We just recently added a nice touch to our backyard's landscaping. I'm surprised at how much of a difference it really makes. It is our hammock! Oh, it's nice. Hopefully I can get some pictures of it soon. The new grass I planted last fall is a beautiful back drop. And now that the leaves have come out on the trees, we have some beautiful shade. The canopy is high and the breeze that comes through the backyard is just right.
We used hooks instead of rope to hang the hammock. The hooks looked plenty big, but I was still skeptical as to whether or not they would actually hold up. Well, we can thank Tyler Scarlett for being our guinea pig (spelling?). Not that you are a pig, Tyler, but you did help me out. You see the box the hooks came in said in a warning not to exceed the load limit indicated for the hooks. But there was one valuable piece of information missing on the box - the load limit. No where could you find a load limit for those hooks. So, let's give it a shot, I thought. I mean, the hammock isn't that high off the ground. Well, poor Tyler, he was the one to hit the ground on it. He was staying with us with another pastor from Forest Baptist Church in Virginia where Tyler serves as the Pastor. I told Tyler I'd bee sending the bill to the church and that he should lay off the Sunday School picnics for a while. Okay, not really, but I did tell him I'd be sending the bill to the church.
We went to Lowe's yesterday and I purchased what I feel confident in being pretty good replacement hooks. Rather than connecting the hook that it is in the tree directly to the hammock, there will be a D Ring connecting the two. The weight limit on that thing is almost a ton. I think it should hold up quite nicely. I mean, with something like that on it, the tree would fall before the hammock would - well, I hope neither falls.
There is no greater peace of mind than to lay back on that hammock while the kids play in their kiddie pool, Ashley glowing with smiles as she watches her chicks have a blast, the rays of sunshine dancing through the shade trees, a cool breeze brushing across your face, having confidence that your heart is right with the Lord, and being absolutely sure that no work has to be done any time soon.
That's the good stuff in life! Everyone needs their own hammock!

Crazy Times

I would have to say that we are certainly busier now than we have ever been. I'm not sure how Ashley manages to keep her sanity. While we love our kids so very much, they have required so much. I'm so spent when I get home from work, and then when I have a free moment and am rested up, I usually fill it quickly with some task that has been waiting for days to get accomplished. I used to blog more frequently, but now my time for blogging is so rare. BUT, God is still so good to us. Someday we'll look back at these crazy times and laugh at how crazy they were, but then we'd say we wouldn't have had it any other way.

Our Most Recent Family Picture

This is the most recent picture we've had taken of all of us. I am so incredibly blessed to have such an awesome family!

Wrestle Mania - Papa Style!

I love my family!

This past week we had the awesome privilege of spending time with my Mom and Dad. They got to spend some great time with the kids. I must admit they were probably a little more tired when they left than when they arrived, but I simply cannot imagine why. I'm sure it has something to do with the youngin's. Abigail still has the hardest time understanding why grown-ups can't just keep playing all day long. It was so great to have time with them.
Now we are in Roanoke, VA spending time with Ashley's family. This is the first time we have all been together since last June! That's way too long. Her grandparents and sister's family (husband and two kids), and our clan has all converged on her parent's beautiful piece of heaven on earth in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I've almost forgotten how majestic these Virginia mountains are. Ashley's parents' house is on the side of a hill overlooking a wide open valley. The view out of the picture window in the living room is so beautiful. Certainly one of my favorite spots in all of Virginia. I wish we had the time to visit some of my other favorite spots as well as friends. Hopefully we'll be able to connect with them somehow. But it wouldn't be the same without my family. I love my family!

Happy Birthday, Nathaniel!

I promise to post some pictures as soon as we get them downloaded, but today was Nathaniel's 2nd birthday. I can't believe he is already 2 years old. He has grown so much, especially in the last 6 months. If I had to describe Nathaniel in one word it would have to be tender. I've never met a more tender toddler. He's always saying hello to perfect strangers. Hugging Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Micah, and even Gracen the cat (now if that's not tender I don't know what is). He loves kissing us all (which could develop into bad things in the future if not controlled - I'm only kidding). He is a tenderhearted little boy who loves to color, draw, paint, and play outside. He makes by far the absolute funniest faces I've ever seen a child his age make. We have to catch them on camera someday. My favorite face he makes is when he crosses his eyes. He is hilarious.
Oh, my Nathaniel, my oldest son. You will go far. I can see so much in you already. I'm so proud to be your Dad. I can't wait to do more things with you as you grow like camping, fishing, hiking, and all those fun things that Fathers and sons get to enjoy together. I will always be here for you.
Happy Birthday, Nathaniel! I love you!

Happy 8 Weeks!

Micah is now 8 weeks old. He's growing everyday...I just haven't been able to catch the actual growth spurt on camera. But, here are some great new pictures!

Our Saturday Out of the House

Well, as those of you who have had small children at one time know, it is possible to spend way too much time in the house. Especially for breast-feeding mothers. Ashley hadn't been out of the house in about 5 days or so. Until yesterday. Even though it was rainy, we just had to break free! So, we want to take the time to say we are thankful for these four words, for they are very important for maintaining our sanity...Burger King Indoor Playground.
You would not believe how much of a blessing it was for us to go to lunch at Burger King yesterday. I think you'll see from the pictures that even the BIG kids got in on the fun! Who knew that a fast food resteraunt would turn into a mini vacation/amusement park for PO FOKE like us? I'm glad it was raining...we hadn't eaten out in way too long. We had the playground and lunch for less that 10 dollars. Not too bad for a family our size!

Make you want to tell the manager?

Dr. Frankenputer

Our computer has been down this weekend. Okay, well that is puting it lightly. Our computer has been down and in pieces. It is finally back together now, but I feel like I've spent the whole weekend in Dr. Frankenstein's lab. We needed to replace the AC port (where we plug in the power cord to charge the battery). Of course this piece would be underneath everything and soldered to the motherboard. So, as you can imagine it was not an easy process. I must admit, I was very nervous about the repair job. I was confident I could get it all back together once I took it apart. My fear, however, was that I wasn't sure it would work after I replaced the part. Well, after literally hours of sitting at the desk working on the thing it worked. The only problem was I accidentally pulled off the recepticle for the cooling fan. I pulled on it a little too hard and it came disconnected from the motherboard. So, back to the soldering iron. This repair was a lot more difficult. There were four leads, very small leads I might add, that had to be attached to the motherboard. Each lead was probably about as thin has a piece of paper. They were also very close together. I discovered that they could not be touching in any way. So a few more hours later and I had a working fan. The only problem is, it runs constantly. It is supposed to only run after triggered by a thermostat like sensor. Whatever I did must have bypassed the sensor. I don't believe this will be a big deal except for annoyance. It's a soft noise, but a constant one nonetheless. Well, here are the pictures from my computer dissection....I'm so glad this one was over!

Look at all those screws. I actually was surprised that I never lost a single screw, and didn't have a single one left over when the computer was reassembled.

You can see the new part on the white piece of shipping foam in the picture below. It went on the upper right hand side on the very end...on the bottom! So, that's why the whole motherboard had to come out.

I probably disassembled and reassembled this computer about 8 times (I'm not exagerating) during this project. Needless to say I didn't need the instructions after the third time. I hope I never have to do that again.

Who says men can't multi-task?

Perhaps it is a bit prideful, and for that I apologize. But I do want to speak up for my fellow men-folk who are often told they, well, stink (for lack of a better word) at multi-tasking. Last night, the kids and I decided to give Mommy a little extra rest time when she fell asleep in the afternoon. So...this is what I did...
After Micah ate his supplementary bottle, I put him in his swing where he drifted off to sleep (which is really the whole reason I could do anything). Then I commenced to prepare supper...all at the same time..
I cooked burgers on our electric indoor grill, fried okra, made sweet tea (via simmer on the stove top), chopped up a pear for our fruit, baked a batch of triple-berry muffins, watched the kids, and did two loads of laundry at the same time. Martha Stewart eat your heart out!!!!
All the kids survived, and there was no fire. Well, okay, the tea bag strings got too close to the range at one point (we have a gas range) and they vanished with a flame, but it was controlled rather quickly. Ashley's expression when she was told dinner was on the table and ready was priceless and made it all worth it. She just look at me, her mouth dropped, and she landed a great big kiss on my lips and said, "I love you," in a sweet, newlywed kinda way. I would have traded it for anything in the world. YES, men can multi task when they set their minds to it. And wives, make sure you reward them as mine did, otherwise they may never even attempt it! It's a rare thing that happens only once in a blue moon, but don't let it slip by unnoticed!
I would do it all again if I had to. MEN UNITE!

Flyin' Solo

This is the first week I have been at home with the children by myself. It was not nearly as crazy as I had anticipated, but I am very relieved that it's Friday and Jonathan can be home the next few days! It helped tremendously that I have had such great help over the past few weeks. Micah is six weeks old now and changing a little every day. Things would be so different if it weren't for all the help we've received during the past month. We owe our MOMs a HUGE thanks for sacrificing their time to spend weeks with us here helping out with the kids and the daily grind. It was also great to have my wonderful hubby around while he took two weeks off from work. Even though we were all sharing a sinus infection during that time, we were also able to share some precious family time together. We haven't spent that much time together as a family in a very long time.

I've been trying to remember that although there are moments of absolute chaos, I will greatly miss this stage of our lives when it's gone. I'm not quite sure what I'll do when the kids are grown and independent. Well, that's not entirely true...I do know a few things I will do! I will sleep until I wake up on my own, shower until my hot water runs out, eat what I want without worrying about giving anyone else gas, rejoice over not having to buy boxes of diapers at WalMart, go on dates with my true love, and play tennis if I can still remember how! But then again, the house will be too quiet, too clean, and too empty. I praise God for the moments of mayhem to have all the great moments we share. For now, I will try to hold on to my husband's hand in one hand and my sanity in the other.

Tonight as I was tucking little Nathaniel under his Pooh Bear blanket I forgot all the difficult moments of the week when he looked up at me with with his big blue eyes and said, "Wuv you, Mommy!"

~Ashley

Clothing Project

While I was at Seminary, we were able to take advantage of the Seminary "Sharing Shop." This was an old seminary married student home that was converted into a second-hand, thrift shop. Every last thing was free. They had clothes, toys, children's items, books, movies, furniture...you name it! After we graduated we really missed the Sharing Shop. We looked forward to our trips there.
Well, we were going to have to purchase some clothes for the kids soon, so Ashley had the idea of contacting the lady in charge of the Sharing Shop and proposed an idea. The Sharing Shop doesn't store any surplus. Because they get so much, they simply take all their surplus to Goodwill. Ashley asked her if we could take their surplus and sift through it for things we could use, and then take it to Goodwill for them. Everyone thought it was a great idea.
Ashley went by there this past Saturday and came home with the van absolutely loaded with bags of clothes. Our task was simple, yet somewhat demanding...open every bag, pull out what we could use, bag up the rest, and repack the van to ship to Goodwill. Here are the pics...

Ashley's pile was the keep pile. These we later sorted according to gender and size.

And...well, here's the rest. You see who had the bigger pile right?

Just when you think you are not sure how in the world you're going to make it, the Lord just kinda smiles and gives you a big blessing. Of course, sometimes you have to work for it, but I think in this case we didn't mind. It was kind of fun.

Technical Difficulties

Well, my computer is experienceing some major technical difficulties with its main power connection hardware. We are currently attempting to remedy the problem. Until it is fixed we will keep you all informed of our whereabouts as best we can. We have some great pictures of a major blessing we received this weekend with some clothes. Hopefully we can post that today. Keep checking in!

She's all growed up!

Well, Abigail has officially mastered the swing. Our neighbors, the Amerson's (home to Courtland, Mindy, and THE DUDE!) graciously allow us to use their swing and slide play set. Abigail surprised me. She wanted on one of the big swings (which she has always been a bit terrified of in the past). I put her on, not moving more than a few inches away from her to catch her if she lost control. Then to my utter amazement, she wanted a push! And before I knew she was telling me "Higher, Daddy! Higher!" I must confess, I was actually scared. But, never once did I deprive her of the opportunity to grow a little by going as high as she liked on the swing. We went to the park today where they have one of those really big swirly slides. She went right up and right down.
The inevitable is happening...my little Abigail is growing up.

Crazy Days

This week has been absolutely crazy. Even the weather has contributed its share of mayhem. It was snowing at the beginning of the week, and now it is warm enough for shorts and tshirts. I have usually been so faithful to write a new entry this week, but I have fallen behind. So much has happened. I'll have to give you the reader's digest versions. But I apologize for the lapse in time. I'll do better.

I Respect Tony Dungy

Just finished reading Tony Dungy's Quiet Strength. What I loved the most about the book was its simplicity. It serves as a memoir of Dungy's life and football career. His message is simple and very clear from the beginning - what matters most in life is one's relationship with God. Football is not his life, it is (well, was) his job.
Dungy has recently announced his retirement. I have a pretty good feeling after reading this book that he will still be quite active in many ministries, and in some ways with football.
I heard a piece of Dungy's story from his pastor who spoke at a conference I attended back in 2007. I was very impressed from the start. For that reason I was glad when the Colts won Superbowl XLI. While I personally do not have a favorite NFL team I have a greater respect for the Colts after reading this book. Without a doubt I will have a favorite team when Ben starts playing in the NFL. Whatever team he is on, that will be my team.
I recommend this book for anyone. I think men who read it will glean great principles of leadership and the importance of having a family-first philosophy. His style of leadership was absolutely impressive. His reserved composure and calm demeaner are a couple of aspects I can certainly adapt myself.
This is a must read for any coach or athlete. But it's a great read for just about anyone.

Today was great!

It rained all day. I only stepped outside one time and that was to see how cold it was. But you know what, we are all starting to feel better....Micah took naps today...Victor and Kerry Johnson brought us some BBQ Ribs that were absolutely out of this world! We almost ate every last one of them! And I have to say that one of the best part was being with my wife and kids. We have been couped up in this house all week, but it has been well worth it.
The kids behaved so well today. I know that sounds simple, but this has been a real tough issue for us this past week. It has actually been an issue for quite a long time. Especially with Abigail. I know she behaves so well when we are in public and when guests are over. But there are some days where she just does not listen to Mommy or Daddy hardly at all. We have struggled so much about how to train her and guide her heart in the right direction. Well, today was definitely a very positive confirmation that she is taking strides in the right direction. I did not have to correct her but only ONE time today. Other than that she listened the first time, every time! And she did it with pleasure and gladness! While I take little credit for this I will say there are two key factors....consistency for one, and prayer for another!
Thank you, Lord for softening the heart of our little girl. You have softened ours and taught us a valuable lesson about faith through all of this. May we be good parents to all our children and train them to be mannerly, respectful, but more importantly than all of that, may their hearts honor and glorify YOU! For our tasks as their parents will never be finished, but will only change as they grow. May we be good shepherds while they are in our care.

It Just Fell Into Place - Literally!

Well, it may not have fallen into place exactly where I wanted, but the retaining wall project has come to a solid half-way point. Well...hopefully solid. Check out the pictures as I recount how the day went.

On previous days, I dug the trench for the foundation. Then I staked out the grade with some new stakes and mason line (all from Ashley's Dad as a gift to help me get this project started right). Ashley's Dad helped me level the line and set the stakes. He also dug in the trench in his nice clothes. Without his help and the materials he provided, this project would have taken so much longer.

That was a few weeks ago...well, I've been purchasing a few blocks of stone here and there. I'd purchase as much as I could fit in the van just for the first couple of rows. Then today, I made the big purchase of all the rest of the stone, and here's how it unfolded...

This is where I started this morning. I had done this much in the previous month. These first few rows were crucial. If they were not level or straight, then the top would look awful. The turn never did "turn" out as I had hoped. So, overlook the flaws if you will.

Look level? Well, it was! So, it was off to Lowes to get the rest of the stones. All I had to do at this point was lay the rest of the layers. Simple enough! By the way...wonder why there is cinder block down there? That's going to be the part of the wall that no one will see. This helped us shave some of the costs of building the wall, and helped me ensure a nice, level foundation.

Everything looked great! How does it look? Well, here's where I began to acknowledge the fact that God does have a sense of humor. You see, I had just completed the half-way mark on the top and last row (there are 9 layers) when I thought to myself, "Hey, maybe I should pack in some dirt to stabilize the wall since it is getting quite tall now." Good thought, huh? Well, I figured I'd finish off the row and then pack in the dirt since I only had about 3 more stones to lay. So I laid one more down and just as I turned to get the last few stones....well, take a look.
I had just thought that the wall needed to be stabalized, and I guess I didn't think fast enough. I probably should have been frustrated, but I honestly couldn't help but laugh. I was building the wall Jericho style...it's the newest rage!

Okay, so take two. I'll let these pictures tell the rest of the story. But wall 2 certainly wasn't as nice as wall #1. Just after the wall fell (without the aid of trumpets, priests, the ark of the covenant, or the children of Israel!) it began to rain (in more ways than one). Then Nathaniel woke up from his nap fevered, crying, and soaked in pee pee. And Micah was screaming because he would not go to sleep. So, all the attention, time, and care that Wall#1 received was definitely not granted to Wall #2. Here's the rest of the pictures...





I learned my lesson the second time around. I packed in the dirt as I went. With every two rows, I stopped to shovel and pack. And here's the final result! I'm glad that one's over...but there's still more to do. I need to brick up the back of the bed, fill it with dirt, then trasplant the rosemary bushes. After that...I'll take a break!